Mayaguez Seized: U.S. Forces Strike Cambodia
Cambodian Khmer Rouge naval forces seized the American merchant vessel SS Mayaguez in the Gulf of Thailand, provoking the last official battle of the Vietnam War era. President Ford ordered a military rescue that freed the crew but cost 41 American lives, revealing the limits of post-Vietnam military intervention and Washington's determination to project strength after Saigon's fall.
May 12, 1975
51 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 12
Stephen became pope in 254 and immediately decided that baptisms performed by heretics still counted. The Novatianists—rigorists who believed lapsed Christians …
Pope Stephen I ascended to the papacy, inheriting a church deeply fractured by debates over whether to readmit Christians who had renounced their faith during R…
Diocletian's executioner faced a kid who'd barely hit puberty. Fourteen-year-old Pancras refused to burn incense to Roman gods—a crime punishable by death durin…
Zhu Wen forces Emperor Ai to abdicate, shattering the Tang Dynasty's three-century grip on China and plunging the realm into the chaotic Five Dynasties period. …
Ahmad ibn Fadlan reached the Volga Bulgars, completing a grueling diplomatic mission from Baghdad to the northern frontier. His detailed journals provided the f…
Richard I of England marries Berengaria of Navarre, uniting two powerful kingdoms and strengthening alliances in the region. This marriage solidified England's …
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